Introduction to the Vedas
Sanatana Dharma (“Eternal Religion”), a.k.a Hinduism, is without any
contest the “world champion” of Scriptures, both in its breath (covering 18
fields of knowledge, it has far more scriptures than all the other world
religions put together) and its depth.
As the great Indologist Max Muller said,
“If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed the choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solution of some of them which well deserve the attention even of those who have studied Plato and Kant-I should point to India. And if I were to ask myself from what literature we here in Europe, we who have been nurtured almost exclusively on the thought of Greeks and Romans, and of one Semitic race, the Jewish, may draw that corrective which is most wanted in order to make our inner life more perfect, more comprehensive, more universal, in fact more truly human, a life not for this life only, but a transfigured and eternal life-again I should point to India.”
“If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed the choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solution of some of them which well deserve the attention even of those who have studied Plato and Kant-I should point to India. And if I were to ask myself from what literature we here in Europe, we who have been nurtured almost exclusively on the thought of Greeks and Romans, and of one Semitic race, the Jewish, may draw that corrective which is most wanted in order to make our inner life more perfect, more comprehensive, more universal, in fact more truly human, a life not for this life only, but a transfigured and eternal life-again I should point to India.”
The sheer number of scriptures should not be so surprising, in light of
the fact that Indians have always considered all arts, sciences, and
occupations as sacred, i.e. offering the opportunity to perfect one’s love for
God by carrying out our activities guided by the scriptures and the sages.
Hence there are scriptures for meditation, administration, love-making,
dancing, grammar, architecture, temple worship, and so on and so forth.
VEDA-THE REVEALED WISDOM
The Srutis are called the Vedas, or the Amnaya. The Hindus have received
their religion through revelation, the Vedas. These are direct intuitional
revelations and are held to be Apaurusheya or entirely superhuman, without any
author in particular. The Veda is the glorious pride of the Hindus, nay, of the
whole world!
The term Veda comes from the root ‘Vid’, to know. The word Veda means knowledge. When it is applied to scripture, it signifies a book of knowledge. The Vedas are the foundational scriptures of the Hindus. The Veda is the source of the other five sets of scriptures, why, even of the secular and the materialistic. The Veda is the storehouse of Indian wisdom and is a memorable glory which man can never forget till eternity.
The Vedas are the eternal truths revealed by God to the great ancient Rishis of India. The word Rishi means a Seer, from dris, to see. He is the Mantra-Drashta, seer of Mantra or thought. The thought was not his own. The Rishis saw the truths or heard them. Therefore, the Vedas are what are heard (Sruti). The Rishi did not write. He did not create it out of his mind. He was the seer of thought which existed already. He was only the spiritual discoverer of the thought. He is not the inventor of the Veda.
The term Veda comes from the root ‘Vid’, to know. The word Veda means knowledge. When it is applied to scripture, it signifies a book of knowledge. The Vedas are the foundational scriptures of the Hindus. The Veda is the source of the other five sets of scriptures, why, even of the secular and the materialistic. The Veda is the storehouse of Indian wisdom and is a memorable glory which man can never forget till eternity.
The Vedas are the eternal truths revealed by God to the great ancient Rishis of India. The word Rishi means a Seer, from dris, to see. He is the Mantra-Drashta, seer of Mantra or thought. The thought was not his own. The Rishis saw the truths or heard them. Therefore, the Vedas are what are heard (Sruti). The Rishi did not write. He did not create it out of his mind. He was the seer of thought which existed already. He was only the spiritual discoverer of the thought. He is not the inventor of the Veda.
THE UNIQUE GLORY OF THE VEDAS
The Vedas represent the spiritual experiences of the Rishis of yore. The
Rishi is only a medium or an agent to transmit to people the intuitional experiences
which he received. The truths of the Vedas are revelations. All the other
religions of the world claim their authority as being delivered by special
messengers of God to certain persons, but the Vedas do not owe their authority
to any one. They are themselves the authority as they are eternal, as they are
the Knowledge of the Lord.
Lord Brahma, the Creator, imparted the divine knowledge to the Rishis or Seers. The Rishis disseminated the knowledge. The Vedic Rishis were great realised persons who had direct intuitive perception of Brahman or the Truth. They were inspired writers. They built a simple, grand and perfect system of religion and philosophy from which the founders and teachers of all other religions have drawn their inspiration.
The Vedas are the oldest books in the library of man. The truths contained in all religions are derived from the Vedas and are ultimately traceable to the Vedas. The Vedas are the fountain-head of religion. The Vedas are the ultimate source to which all religious knowledge can be traced. Religion is of divine origin. It was revealed by God to man in the earliest times. It is embodied in the Vedas.
The Vedas are eternal. They are without beginning and end. An ignorant man, may say how a book can be without beginning or end. By the Vedas, no books are meant. Vedas came out of the breath of the Lord. They are not the composition of any human mind. They were never written, never created. They are eternal and impersonal. The date of the Vedas has never been fixed. It can never be fixed. Vedas are eternal spiritual truths. Vedas are an embodiment of divine knowledge. The books may be destroyed, but the knowledge cannot be destroyed. Knowledge is eternal. In that sense, the Vedas are eternal.
Lord Brahma, the Creator, imparted the divine knowledge to the Rishis or Seers. The Rishis disseminated the knowledge. The Vedic Rishis were great realised persons who had direct intuitive perception of Brahman or the Truth. They were inspired writers. They built a simple, grand and perfect system of religion and philosophy from which the founders and teachers of all other religions have drawn their inspiration.
The Vedas are the oldest books in the library of man. The truths contained in all religions are derived from the Vedas and are ultimately traceable to the Vedas. The Vedas are the fountain-head of religion. The Vedas are the ultimate source to which all religious knowledge can be traced. Religion is of divine origin. It was revealed by God to man in the earliest times. It is embodied in the Vedas.
The Vedas are eternal. They are without beginning and end. An ignorant man, may say how a book can be without beginning or end. By the Vedas, no books are meant. Vedas came out of the breath of the Lord. They are not the composition of any human mind. They were never written, never created. They are eternal and impersonal. The date of the Vedas has never been fixed. It can never be fixed. Vedas are eternal spiritual truths. Vedas are an embodiment of divine knowledge. The books may be destroyed, but the knowledge cannot be destroyed. Knowledge is eternal. In that sense, the Vedas are eternal.
DIVISIONS OF THE VEDAS
The Veda is divided into four great books: the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-Veda,
the Sama-Veda and the Atharva-Veda. The Yajur-Veda is again divided into two
parts, the Sukla and the Krishna. The Krishna or the Taittiriya is the older book and the Sukla
or the Vajasaneya is a later revelation to sage Yajnavalkya from the
resplendent Sun-God.
The Rig-Veda is divided into twenty-one sections, the Yajur-Veda into one hundred and nine sections, the Sama-Veda into one thousand sections and the Atharva-Veda into fifty sections. In all, the whole Veda is thus divided into one thousand one hundred and eighty recensions.
Each Veda consists of four parts: the Mantra-Samhitas or hymns, the Brahmanas or explanations of Mantras or rituals, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads. The division of the Vedas into four parts is to suit the four stages in a man’s life.
The Mantra-Samhitas are hymns in praise of the Vedic God for attaining material prosperity here and happiness hereafter. They are metrical poems comprising prayers, hymns and incantations addressed to various deities, both subjective and objective. The Mantra portion of the Vedas is useful for the Brahmacharins.
The Rig-Veda Samhita is the grandest book of the Hindus, the oldest and the best. It is the Great Indian Bible, which no Hindu would forget to adore from the core of his heart. Its style, the language and the tone are most beautiful and mysterious. Its immortal Mantras embody the greatest truths of existence, and it is perhaps the greatest treasure in all the scriptural literature of the world. Its priest is called the Hotri.
The Yajur-Veda Samhita is mostly in prose and is meant to be used by the Adhvaryu, the Yajur-Vedic priest, for superfluous explanations of the rites in sacrifices, supplementing the Rig-Vedic Mantras.
The Sama-Veda Samhita is mostly borrowed from the Rig-Vedic Samhita, and is meant to be sung by the Udgatri, the Sama Vedic priest, in sacrifices.
The Atharva-Veda Samhita is meant to be used by the Brahma, the Atharva-Vedic priest, to correct the mispronunciations and wrong performances that may accidentally be committed by the other three priests of the sacrifice.
The Brahmana portions guide people to perform sacrificial rites. They are prose explanations of the method of using the Mantras in the Yajna or the sacrifice. The Brahmana portion is suitable for the householders.
There are two Brahmanas to the Rig-Veda-the Aitareya and the Sankhayana. “The Rig-Veda”, says Max Muller, “is the most ancient book of the world. The sacred hymns of the Brahmanas stand unparalleled in the literature of the whole world; and their preservation might well be called miraculous.”
The Satapatha Brahmana belongs to the Sukla-Yajur-Veda. The Krishna-Yajur-Veda has the Taittiriya and the Maitrayana Brahmanas. The Tandya or Panchavimsa, the Shadvimsa, the Chhandogya, the Adbhuta, the Arsheya and the Upanishad Brahmanas belong to the Sama-Veda. The Brahmana of the Atharva-Veda is called the Gopatha. Each of the Brahmanas has got an Aranyaka.
The Aranyakas are the forest books, the mystical sylvan texts which give philosophical interpretations of the rituals. The Aranyakas are intended for the Vanaprasthas or hermits who prepare themselves for taking Sannyasa.
The Upanishads are the most important portion of the Vedas. The Upanishads contain the essence or the knowledge portion of the Vedas. The philosophy of the Upanishads is sublime, profound, lofty and soul-stirring. The Upanishads speak of the identity of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul. They reveal the most subtle and deep spiritual truths. The Upanishads are useful for the Sannyasins.
The subject matter of the whole Veda is divided into Karma- Kanda, Upasana-Kanda and Jnana-Kanda. The Karma-Kanda or Ritualistic Section deals with various sacrifices and rituals. The Upasana-Kanda or Worship-Section deals with various kinds of worship or meditation. The Jnana-Kanda or Knowledge-Section deals with the highest knowledge of Nirguna Brahman. The Mantras and the Brahmanas constitute Karma-Kanda; the Aranyakas Upasana-Kanda; and the Upanishads Jnana-Kanda.
THE ESSENCE OF THE VEDAS
Live in the spirit of the teachings of the Vedas. Learn to discriminate between the permanent and the impermanent. Behold the Self in all beings, in all objects. Names and forms are illusory. Therefore sublate them. Feel that there is nothing but the Self. Share what you have,-physical, mental, moral or spiritual,-with all. Serve the Self in all. Feel when you serve others, that you are serving your own Self. Love thy neighbour as thyself. Melt all illusory differences. Remove all barriers that separate man from man. Mix with all. Embrace all. Destroy the sex-idea and body-idea by constantly thinking of the Self or the sexless, bodiless Atman. Fix the mind on the Self when you work. This is the essence of the teachings of the Vedas and sages of yore. This is real, eternal life in Atman. Put these things in practice in the daily battle of life. You will shine as a dynamic Yogi or a Jivanmukta. There is no doubt of this.
The Rig-Veda is divided into twenty-one sections, the Yajur-Veda into one hundred and nine sections, the Sama-Veda into one thousand sections and the Atharva-Veda into fifty sections. In all, the whole Veda is thus divided into one thousand one hundred and eighty recensions.
Each Veda consists of four parts: the Mantra-Samhitas or hymns, the Brahmanas or explanations of Mantras or rituals, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads. The division of the Vedas into four parts is to suit the four stages in a man’s life.
The Mantra-Samhitas are hymns in praise of the Vedic God for attaining material prosperity here and happiness hereafter. They are metrical poems comprising prayers, hymns and incantations addressed to various deities, both subjective and objective. The Mantra portion of the Vedas is useful for the Brahmacharins.
The Rig-Veda Samhita is the grandest book of the Hindus, the oldest and the best. It is the Great Indian Bible, which no Hindu would forget to adore from the core of his heart. Its style, the language and the tone are most beautiful and mysterious. Its immortal Mantras embody the greatest truths of existence, and it is perhaps the greatest treasure in all the scriptural literature of the world. Its priest is called the Hotri.
The Yajur-Veda Samhita is mostly in prose and is meant to be used by the Adhvaryu, the Yajur-Vedic priest, for superfluous explanations of the rites in sacrifices, supplementing the Rig-Vedic Mantras.
The Sama-Veda Samhita is mostly borrowed from the Rig-Vedic Samhita, and is meant to be sung by the Udgatri, the Sama Vedic priest, in sacrifices.
The Atharva-Veda Samhita is meant to be used by the Brahma, the Atharva-Vedic priest, to correct the mispronunciations and wrong performances that may accidentally be committed by the other three priests of the sacrifice.
The Brahmana portions guide people to perform sacrificial rites. They are prose explanations of the method of using the Mantras in the Yajna or the sacrifice. The Brahmana portion is suitable for the householders.
There are two Brahmanas to the Rig-Veda-the Aitareya and the Sankhayana. “The Rig-Veda”, says Max Muller, “is the most ancient book of the world. The sacred hymns of the Brahmanas stand unparalleled in the literature of the whole world; and their preservation might well be called miraculous.”
The Satapatha Brahmana belongs to the Sukla-Yajur-Veda. The Krishna-Yajur-Veda has the Taittiriya and the Maitrayana Brahmanas. The Tandya or Panchavimsa, the Shadvimsa, the Chhandogya, the Adbhuta, the Arsheya and the Upanishad Brahmanas belong to the Sama-Veda. The Brahmana of the Atharva-Veda is called the Gopatha. Each of the Brahmanas has got an Aranyaka.
The Aranyakas are the forest books, the mystical sylvan texts which give philosophical interpretations of the rituals. The Aranyakas are intended for the Vanaprasthas or hermits who prepare themselves for taking Sannyasa.
The Upanishads are the most important portion of the Vedas. The Upanishads contain the essence or the knowledge portion of the Vedas. The philosophy of the Upanishads is sublime, profound, lofty and soul-stirring. The Upanishads speak of the identity of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul. They reveal the most subtle and deep spiritual truths. The Upanishads are useful for the Sannyasins.
The subject matter of the whole Veda is divided into Karma- Kanda, Upasana-Kanda and Jnana-Kanda. The Karma-Kanda or Ritualistic Section deals with various sacrifices and rituals. The Upasana-Kanda or Worship-Section deals with various kinds of worship or meditation. The Jnana-Kanda or Knowledge-Section deals with the highest knowledge of Nirguna Brahman. The Mantras and the Brahmanas constitute Karma-Kanda; the Aranyakas Upasana-Kanda; and the Upanishads Jnana-Kanda.
THE ESSENCE OF THE VEDAS
Live in the spirit of the teachings of the Vedas. Learn to discriminate between the permanent and the impermanent. Behold the Self in all beings, in all objects. Names and forms are illusory. Therefore sublate them. Feel that there is nothing but the Self. Share what you have,-physical, mental, moral or spiritual,-with all. Serve the Self in all. Feel when you serve others, that you are serving your own Self. Love thy neighbour as thyself. Melt all illusory differences. Remove all barriers that separate man from man. Mix with all. Embrace all. Destroy the sex-idea and body-idea by constantly thinking of the Self or the sexless, bodiless Atman. Fix the mind on the Self when you work. This is the essence of the teachings of the Vedas and sages of yore. This is real, eternal life in Atman. Put these things in practice in the daily battle of life. You will shine as a dynamic Yogi or a Jivanmukta. There is no doubt of this.
Rig Veda
The Rig Veda has two main Sakhas or branches. Shakalya sakha &
Ashtaka sakha.
Rig Veda is regarded as the oldest of all Vedas. Westernised scholars
date the Rig Veda as 1200 BC – 4000 B.C. but traditional Hindus believe that
Vedas are eternal knowledge and beyond time and space. The Rig-Vedic ‘samhita’
or collection of mantras consists of 1,028 hymns or ‘suktas’, The 10,589 verses
of the Rigveda are divided into ten mandalas or books.
First mandala consists of 191 suktas and 2006 mantras
Second mandala consists of 43 suktas and 429 mantras
Third mandala consists of 62 suktas and 617 mantras
Fourth mandala consists of 58 suktas and 589 mantras
Fifth mandala consists of 87 suktas and 727 mantras
Sixth mandala consists of 75 suktas and 765 mantras
Seventh mandala consists of 104 suktas and 841 mantras
Eighth mandala consists of 103 suktas and 1716 mantras
Ninth mandala consists of 114 suktas and 1108 mantras
Tenth mandala consists of 191 suktas and 1754 mantras
According to the Shatapatha Brahmana, the number of syllables in the
Rigveda is 432,000, equalling the number of muhurtas (1 day = 30 muhurtas) in
forty years.The Rig-Vedic hymns were compiled by Paila under the guidance of
Vyasa, and went to form the Rig mantra Samhita. Rgveda intones that let there
be goodness in the hearts and thoughts. Since all are embodiments of the
Divinity, all human beings are one. Rig Veda is important not only from
religious and philosophical point of view but as some recent research has shown
it also contains immense information on cosmology, astrology and mathematics.
Yajur Veda
The Yajur Veda contains hymns for ceremonial purposes which also deal
with the art of living a successful and wholesome life. It was used by the
adhvaryu, priests who recited the appropriate formulas from the Yajur-Veda
while actually performing the sacrificial actions. There are six complete
recessions of Yajur Veda – Madyandina, Kanva, Taittiriya, Kathaka, Maitrayani
and Kapishthala.
There are two versions of the Yajur Veda. Veda Vyasa composed the Krishna
Paksha Yajur Veda and the Pandits of South India follow this.
As for the Shukla Paksha Yajur Veda – according to legend Rishi Yangyavalkya was a student of Rishi Jaimini. During a teaching session attended by the disciples , a messenger came from the King’s court. It was customary of the King to get the blessing of the Brahmanas before commencing the day’s work. So this time Guru asked the young Yagnavalkya to go to the court to bless the king.
As for the Shukla Paksha Yajur Veda – according to legend Rishi Yangyavalkya was a student of Rishi Jaimini. During a teaching session attended by the disciples , a messenger came from the King’s court. It was customary of the King to get the blessing of the Brahmanas before commencing the day’s work. So this time Guru asked the young Yagnavalkya to go to the court to bless the king.
Yangyavalkya went to the court , but the king was still taking the bath
and he have to wait. Being a young turk he told the messenger the king should
have called him when he is ready and he is missing the lessons, the messenger
informed this to the king. The king told the messenger to ask for the
“Akshatai” and asked the brahmana to leave. So the rishi left the “Akshatai” in
the nearby pipal tree trunk , where the tree is cut at stump level and left to
the Gurukulam.
The king came out after taking the bath and was very surprised to see a
fully grown pipal tree, in the place where it used to be a half cut stump. The
astonished King enquired the messenger on what happened , the messenger
narrated. The King understood the power of the Rishi and rushed to Gurukulam.
There he narrated the whole thing to Guru Jaimini. But the Guru wants to
admonish the student for his impatience. So he called the Rishi Yagyavalkya and
asked why can’t he wait till the king finished his bath and so on. As
punishment he asked the Rishi Yagyavalkya to spit (kakku) whatever he learned
from him. The student obeyed the guru, he took the form of Ostrich (nerruppu
kozhi) called “Thithri” in Sanskrit and emitted 3 chunks of black Those were
called Krishna Yajur Veda, – The famous “Taithirya Samhita” in the Krishna
yajur veda was so called because of this. (ie from “thithri”) .
Then he did much penance on the Sun God and received the “Shukla Yajur
Veda “ from Sun god. The Shukla Yajurveda is is more popular in Northern India.
Shukla yajurveda (vaajasaaniiya) consists of
40 chapters in metrical form. Sukla Yajurveda follows the Aditya sampradaya or
the schoolof Aditya – Sun God, and is more popular in the North
India. Out of the 17 sakas in this school, only 2 are available
now. Kanwa Sakha or Kanwa Samhita is the most popular one.
Krishna
yajurveda has some portions which are in metrical form and some protion in prose
forms and some portions contains a mixure of both. Krishna Yajurveda follows
the Brahma sampradaya (the school of Brahma) and is more popular in the South
India. It was supposed to be having 82 branches or sakas out of
which only 4 are available now. Taittiriiya samhita is the most popular one.
Sama Veda: “Amongst the Vedas I am
the Samaveda” said Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.
The word Sama means sweet songs or hymns. It is said that Sama Veda had
originally 1000 sakhas but only 13 are available now.
1. Ranayana
2. Shatyamukhya
3. Vyasa
4. Bhaguri
5. Oulundi
6. Goulgulvi
7. Bhanuman-oupamayava
8. Karati
9. Mashaka Gargya
10. Varsgagavya
11 Kuthuma
12. Sgakugitra
13. Jaimini
At present only three ( Ranayana, Kuthuma and Jaimini) are available.
Samaveda consists of 1875 mantras. These mantras are divided into two broad
groups- puravachika (650 mantras) and Uttarachika (1225 manrtas).Purvachika is
further divided into four sections or kandas: agneya, aindra, pavamana and
aranya kandas. The Uttarnchika consists of 21chapters.
Kuthuma sakha is the most popular
one.
Atharva Veda
Atharva Veda is named after Rishi Atharvan who played a major role in the
composition of the Atharva Veda. It deals with medicine and contains detailed
description of medicines, anatomy and physiology. It also deals with many
tantrik practices, charms, poisons etc that can be used against enemies in
warfare. Apart from these it also contains many philosophical doctrines. As it
contains several secret Tantrik practices, not many dare to study it and fewer
still recite it openly for the general public.
No comments:
Post a Comment